Raisin Bran Sog and How to Avoid It

Forgive me, if you will, for shilling for a product I find highly amenable to my morning ritual: that rich uncle of raisin bran, Kellogg's Raisin Bran Crunch. Like Willie Nelson and red licorice, this stuff just doesn't get old. Normally, I'm highly cynical of spin-off cereals. Like Berry Kix, et al. If your first cereal wasn't good enough, what makes you think I'll like your second, third, or eighteenth (Soccer Crunch, much?)? But this one's different. I'll admit, when I first saw this on shelves a number of years back, I thought to myself, in my most Scroogey interior monologue, 'What do we have here? Another Johnny-come-lately in the raisin bran family? Bah humbug.' A couple of months went by. Eventually, I couldn't resist this granola- and nut-encrusted Siren of the cereals. And thank God I broke down, because Raisin Bran Crunch is now one of my all-time faves.

Assuming you're cool with bran flakes and plump raisins in your breakfast bowl, traditional raisin bran still has one major stumbling block that's kept it from going viral: persistent, inescapable, irreversible sogginess. Most raisin brans, and I'm not just talking Kellogg's here, suffer from the same ailment: flakes that last about a minute in milk before giving up the crunchy ghost and going soft, soft, soft. Sure, you can get used to this, but can you every really get excited about it? Maybe I'm wrong; maybe some people love that about it. And maybe they have a Gilligan's Island lunchbox or nine cats or a front lawn made of artificial turf. But let's leave those people out of the conversation. Because what I'm talking about here is crunch.

Raisin Bran Crunch delivers it in spades. But that's not all; it's got the perfect balance of taste and texture. Chewy, sweet raisins; lightly crunchy yet substantial flakes that can hold it together for longer than a minute; a dusting of oat slivers and honey-kissed granola pieces; and a touch of sugar glazing each bite. Not much else to ask for. I can devour multiple bowls on end -- and do. One time, Pac N Save had them on sale for something like five boxes for $10. Guess what? I bought five. And guess what else? They didn't last long, my friend.

So here's my point: If you're not a raisin bran fan, but aren't intrinsically opposed to the cereal's genetic makeup -- that is, bran flakes and raisins -- then give Raisin Bran Crunch a try. You may just love it. Alternatively, you may not. Couple of options there. Good luck with that.